Friday camp report: Live BP inside stadium, injury updates

The Nationals took live batting practice inside their spring training ballpark for the first time. Plus, some rehab updates on DJ Herz, Jarlin Susana, Travis Sykora and Trevor Williams.

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS JOURNAL

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The stands were empty. Music was playing over the PA system, but there little-to-no reaction to anything that was transpiring on the field. But as he walked off the mound inside CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches today, Brad Lord couldn’t help but smile and appreciate the little extra benefit he got from throwing to live hitters in this environment compared to the usual one.

“It’s awesome to simulate the game atmosphere and get the adrenaline going,” the right-hander said. “It’s great, I love it. You’re in a stadium, you’ve got stands around you, see the big scoreboard. It feels little bit more like you’re already in the game.”

The Nationals held their first official live batting practice sessions of the spring today. And for the first time since relocating to West Palm Beach in 2017, they held one of those sessions inside the stadium instead of one of their six back field.

It may not seem like that big a deal, but it was a noticeable change for pitchers, hitters and coaches alike, all of them seeing benefits of moving the drill inside the park.

“Very helpful,” outfielder Daylen Lile said. “Just to see the flight of the ball and just see how it’s gonna be in-game whenever there’s a crowd and defenders. So it was very beneficial.”

In addition to all that, there was another practical reason for the Nats to move the location of live BP. For the first time this spring, the ballpark is fully equipped with the Hawk-Eye technology that is used to generate Statcast data and will now be used for Major League Baseball’s new Automated Balls and Strikes challenge system.

Thus, every pitch that was thrown and every ball that was put into play was instantly recorded in the system, which spits out every possible bit of useful data to help everyone evaluate what took place.

“I would say that if we couldn’t get any of the information, we probably wouldn’t (use the stadium for live BP),” manager Blake Butera said. “But the fact that we had the information and it’s an opportunity to get in the stadium, both of those tie in together. This early in spring training, the information’s probably more important just to make sure our guys are in a good spot, so we don’t want to sacrifice that by any means. But the fact that we have both, it’s a no-brainer. Any time they let us out there, we’ll be out there.”

The Nationals did have to coordinate with the Astros, who have their own practice fields on the other side of the complex but share the stadium. Houston’s staff wasn’t using the facility today, so the Nats jumped in and took it for themselves.

Lord was the most notable pitcher who faced hitters today, the right-hander tossing two simulated innings with a break in between. He faced a quartet of hitters: Lile, Dylan Crews, Brady House and Riley Adams.

The right-hander, who turns 26 on Saturday, appreciated the noticeable difference in environment for this session.

“Just being in the stadium,” Lord said, “and honestly just seeing hitters for the first time in front of all the new coaching staff, the adrenaline gets going.”

INJURY UPDATES

Some official injury updates on several pitchers who are recovering from surgeries in 2025 …

* DJ Herz, who is now 10-plus months removed from Tommy John surgery, made 25 throws from 120 feet Thursday with no issues. The left-hander was placed on the 60-day injured list earlier this week, so that guarantees he won’t return to the majors until at least late-May (which would be just shy of 14 months since the surgery).

* Jarlin Susana, who needed surgery last summer for a torn lat muscle, made 15 throws from 60 feet Thursday with no issues. The flame-throwing top prospect won’t be starting the season on-time, but club officials are hopeful he could be pitching sometime this summer.

* Travis Sykora, who had Tommy John surgery last July, began his throwing program earlier this week and was pleased with the results. The 21-year-old said everything felt natural, and he didn’t experience the trepidation many pitchers feel when cleared to throw for the first time following major arm surgery. Sykora knows he won’t be pitching competitively until 2027 but said he’s hoping to take full advantage of his first big-league camp, learning from other pitchers and the new coaching staff.

* Trevor Williams, who had an internal brace procedure on his elbow last July, is still focused on strengthening and has not begun throwing yet. The veteran right-hander was placed on the 60-day IL earlier this week, sidelining him until at least late-May.